Relevance:
In Sundarbans, a new shrimp farming initiative offers hope for mangrove restoration.
About Sustainable Aquaculture In Mangrove Ecosystem (SAIME) Initiative:
- Cultivation of shrimp at 30 hectares in West Bengal and restoring mangroves.
- Conceived by – NGOs Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) and Global Nature Fund (GNF), Naturland, Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS).
- The mangrove ecosystem is integrated with shrimp cultivation, but when fisheries were expanded inwards, the mangrove ecosystem was excluded.
About Sundarbans Delta:
- Sundarbans – largest mangrove forests in the world
- A complex network of rivers and low-lying islands that face a tide surge twice a day.
- Location – Delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal.
- Coverage – 40% of Sundarbans lies in India and the rest in Bangladesh.
- Mangrove ecosystem is a very specialised environment occurring in between the land and the sea in the tropical and subtropical regions.
- Species found – Estuarine crocodile, water monitor lizard, Gangetic dolphin and olive ridley turtle.
- Recognitions –
- UNESCO World Heritage site
- Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention
The 2004 Tsunami made people realize that mangroves can serve as a reliable safety hedge against coastal calamities. How do mangroves function as a safety hedge? (2011)
- The mangrove swamps separate the human settlements from the sea by a wide zone in which people neither live nor venture out
- The mangroves provide both food and medicines which people are in need of after any natural disaster
- The mangrove trees are tall with dense canopies and serve as an excellent shelter during a cyclone or tsunami
- The mangrove trees do not get uprooted by storms and tides because of their extensive roots
Reference: The Hindu
